Think Before You Pour
Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOGs) may seem like liquid when poured, but they cool as they travel along the pipes, causing blockages in homes, businesses, the public sewer network and wastewater treatment plants, and can even lead to overflows of sewage that can damage the environment. When FOGs combine with wipes and other sanitary items that shouldn’t be flushed down the toilet, fatbergs can form. Hundreds of blockages including fatbergs are cleared from the Irish wastewater network every week.
This Christmas, the Think Before You Pour campaign is partnering with Ireland’s much-loved celebrity chef Neven Maguire to share this important message.
Neven’s top 3 tips to avoid festive fatbergs this Christmas:
- Collect all your used cooking oil and fats into a suitable container (or “Gunkpot”) and allow this to solidify before throwing into the bin
- Always wipe and scrape plates and saucepans before washing
- Use a strainer in your kitchen sink, and empty into a suitable bin.
Whether you’re the cook or the helper in the kitchen this Christmas, you can make a positive impact on the environment directly from your own home. An action as small as disposing of your fats, oils and greases in the bin, rather than pouring them down the sink, can have a hugely positive effect on our environment and wastewater system. Fatbergs start in the kitchen, so let’s all make sure we play our part and never pour FOGs down our sinks.
Neven Maguire
